Youth Performing Arts School South 2nd Street Louisville Ky

Curtis Essig joined the faculty of the Youth Performing Arts School in the fall of 1993 and is currently in his 31st year of teaching and his 27th year at YPAS. Prior to his current position, he was Director of Bands at Waggener High School in Jefferson County, KY from 1989-1993.  He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree (1989) and his Master of Secondary Education degree (1999) from the University of Louisville.

Mr. Essig's teaching responsibilities include Intermediate Brass, Jazz Improvisation, Chamber Ensemble, Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble.  Additionally, being responsible for the artistic growth of all brass students, he rehearses brass ensembles on a regular basis and supervises the development of etude and solo repertoire for all brass players in the YPAS Instrumental Music Program.

Mr. Essig was selected as Kentucky High School Music Teacher of the Year for District 12 in 1999.  He served as District 12 Band Chair from 1997-1999 and again in 2002.  He also served as the Kentucky All-State Jazz Coordinator for KMEA from 1998-2002 and again from 2009 to 2011.  Mr. Essig has held various offices in the Kentucky Unit of the International Association for Jazz Education including:  Secretary 1996-1998, Vice-President 1998-2000, President Elect 2000-2003,and President 2003-2005.  Mr. Essig is also a contributing author to volumes 1 and 2 of theTeaching Music Through Performance in Jazz books compiled by Dr. Richard Miles and Ronald Carter.  His professional affiliations include the Kentucky Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Kappa Phi, the International Trumpet Guild, and the Jazz Educators Network.

Mr. Essig performed professionally as trumpeter and keyboardist in the band Midnight Hour from 1984-2004.  He is currently a member of the Chamber Winds Louisville under the direction of Dr. Fred Speck and has performed locally, at the KMEA State Music Conference, and at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic with the ensemble.

Jason Gregory is in is 19th year of teaching and 12th year at duPont Manual HS and the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, KY. Mr.Gregory currently serves as the Assistant Director of Bands and the Director of Percussion Studies for the Youth Performing Arts School. He also serves as the Director of Athletic Bands for duPont Manual High School which includes a competitive marching band, basketball pep band and a newly formed winter color guard training program. His teaching responsibilities at YPAS include or have included Percussion Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble, Intermediate Woodwinds, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Conductor of the Pit Orchestra and Music Theory I. Mr. Gregory oversees all aspects of the woodwind and percussion curriculum at YPAS. In addition, he has taught AP Music Theory and Jazz Ensemble at previous schools. Since taking over the YPAS Percussion Ensemble full time in 2013, the ensemble was selected to perform at the KMEA state music conference (2014) with guest artist Michael Burritt of the Eastman School of Music, won the large ensemble division of the Black Swamp HS Percussion Ensemble competition (2015), was a featured ensemble at the Music for All/Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival (2016) and was selected to perform at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2017). In addition the YPAS percussion program averages 4-6 percussionists in KY All-State Ensembles each year.

Mr. Gregory also serves as freelance percussionist, arranger and adjudicator throughout the state of Kentucky and Indiana. Over the years, he has performed with the Louisville Orchestra, the Owensboro Symphony and the Evansville Symphony.  While with the Louisville Orchestra, he performed with numerous artists including Luciano Pavarotti, Martina McBride, Frank Sinatra Jr, the Spinners and David Clayton Thomas of Blood Sweat & Tears. He is currently a member of the Chamber Winds of Louisville Concert Band, a community ensemble conducted by Dr. Frederick Speck, the Director of Bands at the University of Louisville.The ensemble recently performed at the 2013 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and at the KMEA Music Conference in 2012. Prior to becoming a band director, Mr. Gregory served as a clinician for Yamaha "Sounds of Summer" Camps, taught percussion for numerous high school percussion programs and served as a Percussion Caption Head for a Senior Drum & Bugle Corps. Currently, he serves as a music, visual and percussion adjudicator for various KMEA sanctioned marching band festivals, concert band festival and Solo and Ensemble adjudicator throughout the state of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. As a percussion arranger, he has written for two Senior Drum & Bugle Corps, the University of Louisville and for numerous high school programs in the surrounding area including his own band program.

Mr. Gregory is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Music (BME 2001) where his principal percussion teachers were Chad Stoltenberg, James Rago, Greg Byrne and Michael Ferraracio.  He earned his Master Degree in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University (MED 2008).  His professional affiliations include the Kentucky Music Educators Association, the Percussive Arts Society, the Jefferson County Teachers Association and NAfME, the national association for music education.

Jason Gregory currently resides in Louisville, KY with his wife Nikki, 20 year old son Cole and 13 year old daughter Hope.

Youth Performing Arts School South 2nd Street Louisville Ky

Source: https://ypas.jcps-ky.com/Contacts

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